Machine for charging detonator carrying plates



Oct. 28, 1952 R. w. MARTYN MACHINE FOR CHARGING DETONATOR CARRYINGPLATES 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1948 a an n L E my m S V M QS min ,n @s i \wm ll J E W @i B 2/ Z 4 ATTORZVZYS.

Oct. 28, 1952 R. w. MARTYN MACHINE FOR CHARGING DETONATOR CARRYINGPLATES 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 L OOOOOOOOOO wI k oooooooooo fi oooooooooo mmoooooooooom "OOOOOOOOOO mm @ooooooooo fi Filed Feb. 10, 1948 FIG. 5

INVENTOR ROGER W. MARTYN BYMm/w fldz f/ mToRNEYs Patented Oct. 28, 1952UNETE MACEHNE FOR CHARGING DETGNATDR CARRYING PLATES ApplicationFebruary 10, 1949, Serial No. 7,427 In Great Britain March 19, 1947 Thepresent invention relates to machines for charging a. detonator carryingplate with empty detonator tubes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine whichpermits a detonator carrying plate to be charged with empty detonatortubes in a simpler and more convenient manner than heretofore.

According to the present invention, the machine for charging a detonatorcarrying plate with empty detonator tubes comprises, in combinationmeans for holding a removable detonator carrying plate in position, aslidable feed plate adapted to rest on the detonator carrying plate heldin said position and having holes which taper towards the bottom facethereof and correspond in position to those in the carrying plate, a rowof detonator tube guide-tubes positioned above the feed plate andadapted to be inclined at a variable angle to the vertical, e. g. 10 tothe vertical, and means permitting the slidable feed plate and carryingplate when their respective holes are out of alignment to move togetherbelow the row of guide-tubes, in which machine the slidable feed plateis adapted to slide laterally across the carrying plate between twolimits so that in one extreme position the holes of the plates coincideand in the other position they do not coincide and in which the row ofguide-tubes when inclined at a suitable angle to the vertical is at sucha distance from the slidable feed plate as to permit the detonator tubesprojecting from below them to slide over those that have fallen into theholes of the feed plate onto the top of the carrying plate.

The machine according to the invention and the manner in which it is tobe used will now be described by way of example with reference to thedrawings accompanying the specification in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a vertical plane along thelength of the machine showing the holes of the slidable feed plate anddetonator carrying plate out of alignment;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view at right angles to Figure 1showing only one of a series of feed tubes in a row for simplicity ofillustration;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental view of Figure 1 at a later stage ofoperation;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 at alater stage of operation of the machine than shown in Figure 3; and,

Figure 5 is a plan view of the machine of this invention.

2 Ciaims. (Cl. 8648) Referring to'the drawings, l is one of a row ofguide-tubes inclined, for example at an angle of 10, to the vertical inthe direction shown, down which are fed, in known manner, the emptydetonator tubes Ll so that there is formed in each guide-tube acontinuous column of detonator tubes with their closed ends facingdownwards. Ihe guide tubes l are free to rotate about ahorizontal axisthrough their lower pivotal support 9 and may be held at the desiredangle to the vertical by a clamp H3 which locks the upper support H inposition. The slidable feed plate 2 rests upon the detonator carryingplate 3 so that the tapered holes 5 in the slidable feed plate 2 and thenon-tapered holes 6 of the carrying plate 3 are out of alignment. Thetapered holes 5 correspond in number and in arrangement to thenon-tapered holes 6. The combined plates 2 and 3 rest on a table orbench E2 on which are guides l3 arranged to align the holes 5 in theupper plates 2 relative to the guide tubes I. The tapered holes 5 arewider at the top face than the bottom face of the slidable feed plate,the width at the bottom being a shade greater than the width of theholes 6 of the detonator carrying plate. The row of guidetubes l'isparallel to the rows of holes 5 in the guide plate 2. When-the machineis brought into action, the lowest detonator tubes l of the column ofdetonator tubes in the guide-tubes l rest on the top of the slidablefeed plate 2 but as the slidable feed plate 2 and the detonator carryingplate 3 are fed under and across the row of guide-tubes l by the actionof the ram or thruster i i in due course the lowest detonator tubes 4come above the corresponding tapered holes 5 in the slidable feed plate2 and drop into these holes onto the top of the carrying plate so thatthe whole column of detonator tubes drop down in each guide-tube l untilthe base of each emerging second lowest detonator tube is stopped by thetop of each lowest detonator tube from reaching the feed plate.

011 further movement of the combined slidable feed plate 2 and detonatorcarrying plate 3 owing to the fact that the guide-tubes l are inclined,the lip l of each detonator tube t already in the slidable feed plate 2bears on the rounded base of the detonator tube above it and raises thelatter so that the combined plates 2 and 3 are not prevented from movingonward. Should the guide-tubes i be vertical or insufficiently canted,the lip l of the lowest detonator tube will bear on the vertical wall ofthe detonator tube above it and jam the machine.

On further movement of the combined plates 2 and 3 the base 8 of thesecond lowest detonator tube slides over the lip l of the lowestdetonator tube and falls until it comes to rest on the top surface ofthe slidable feed plate 2, ready to fall into the next tapered hole 5 tobe presented to I the guide-tube.

When all the tapered holes 5 in the slidable feed plate 2 have beenfilled, a friction bar which is not shown in the drawings since it formsno part of this invention holds the lowest of the detonator tubes 4still in the guide-tubes l, and the plates 2 and 3 move on.

The slidable feed plate 2 is now pushed laterally across the detonatorcarrying plate 3 by means of a second ram or pusher [5 until the twosets of holes 5 and 6 correspond so that the detonator tubes 4 drop intothe holes 6 of the detonator carrying plate 3. The slidable feed plate 2is now removed and detonator tubes 4 in the holes 6 of the detonatorcarrying plate3 are ready to receive their explosive charges.

I claim:

1. A machine for charging a detonator carrying plate with emptydetonator tubes comprising incombinationmeans for holding a removabledetonator carrying plate in position, a slidable feed plate adapted torest on the detonator carrying plate held in said position and havingholes which taper towards the bottom face thereof and correspond inposition to those in the carrying plate, a row of detonator tubeguide-tubes positioned above the feed plate and adapted to be .4inclined at a variable angle to the vertical, and means permitting theslidable feed plate and carrying plate when their respective holes areout of alignment to move together below the row of guide-tubes, in whichmachine the slidable feed plate is adapted to slide laterally across thecarrying plate between two limits so that in one extreme position theholes of the plates coincide and in the other position they do notcoincide and in which the row of guide-tubes when inclined at a suitableangle to the vertical is at such a distance from the slidable feed plateas to permit thedetonator tubes projecting from below them to slide overthose that have fallen into the holes of the feed plate on the carryingplate.

2. A machine for charging a detonator carrying plate with emptydetonator tubes as set forth in claim 1 wherein the preferred variableangle of a roW of detonatorTtube guide-tubes is 10 to the vertical.

' ROGER. W. MARTYN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 899,761 Remington Sept. 29,1908 2,402,110 Yates et a1 June 11, 1946 2,406,176 Vergobbi Aug. 20,1946

